Latest news with #Perlman
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump budget plan would cut funding for brain injury research
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways If the Trump administration's 2026 fiscal budget request is approved by Congress, it would eliminate the Centers for Disease Control department in charge of traumatic brain injury research and education, including the department's $8.25 million in federal funding. On April 1, the five employees responsible for administering the U.S. government's primary TBI program were placed on paid administrative leave by the CDC. Dr. Owen Perlman, a board member of the Brain Injury Association of America's board of directors, said the budget cuts would 'roll back decades of progress' on TBI research and education. 'For many people with concussions or certainly moderate or severe brain injuries, there's no endpoint,' Perlman said. 'It's a lifetime problem, and there needs to be lifetime funding for it.' Heads Up, which administers concussion-prevention programs for youth and high-school coaches in 45 states, would be disbanded if the budget proposal is approved. The CDC employees who were put on leave managed the program, whose website says more than 10 million people have taken part in its training programs online. 'We're really worried about the hundreds of thousands of coaches who have to take this training,' a CDC official told ESPN. 'This is really built in, and we've lost the whole team (behind the program).' As part of the Trump administration's budget, the National Institutes of Health, which focuses on medical issues including stroke and migraines, would maintain an institute for brain research. It's unknown if any TBI programs would be included.
San Francisco Chronicle
01-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Glady Thacher, philanthropist who launched nonprofits from her S.F. living room, dies at 95
Like many of the big houses in San Francisco's Presidio Heights, Glady Thacher's home had a formal living room that nobody ever sat in during the day. One morning she came downstairs, saw all that wasted space and turned it into Enterprise for High School Students, a nonprofit Thacher dreamed up in 1969 to help city kids get summer and after school jobs. With a copy machine on the piano, a Rolodex on the coffee table and a second telephone dragged in from the kitchen, Thacher recruited eight or nine neighborhood women who would sit on the floor going through binders of jobs and contacts. The nonprofit service was immediately in demand, with kids from all over the city ringing the doorbell for an interview that would result in a paying job. Launched before internships became prevalent, Enterprise was the first big idea with legs that walked out of the Thacher living room on Washington Street, two doors from the home of the great 49ers receiver Gene Washington. Her second big idea was the San Francisco Education Fund, which supplied financial assistance to public schools after California's Proposition 13 property tax measure started impacting their budgets. Her third act was to co-found San Francisco Village to help older residents address issues of aging and housing. Thacher, who wrote an editorial for the Chronicle in 1994 titled 'The Life that Begins at 50,' led by example. So did her husband, James Thacher, a Montgomery Street attorney who walked 3.6 miles to work and 3.6 miles back in wingtips and wool suits until he suffered a fatal stroke at 83. Glady (a shortening of Gladys), as she was always known, started the San Francisco Education Fund when she was 50. She launched another nonprofit, the LifePlan Center, when she was 65 and continued working in philanthropy deep into her 90s, while also writing poetry. After she was widowed, she became romantically involved with indefatigable Chronicle science editor David Perlman, and they became a couple until Perlman's death in 2021 at age 101. Badly injured in an auto accident while driving on Lake Street from her house to Perlman's at age 89, Thacher required two surgeries, but recovered and became involved with another boyfriend when she was in her 90s. She lived in the house with the useful living room until her dying day, April 3. She was 95 and died peacefully in her sleep. 'She would get an idea and she would pursue it to the end,' said her daughter Hally Thacher, a painter and sculptor in New York City. 'She loved getting people together, having a cause and going for it. And she did it in a very understated way.' Gladys Pomeroy Stevens was born July 11, 1929, in New York City. She grew up in Old Chatham, in upstate New York. In elementary school, she went to boarding school at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa. She was introduced to New York society at the debutante ball in 1947. While still in high school, she came west for the first time to visit a friend in Lake Tahoe, where she met James Thacher, a Yalie whose family founded the Thacher School in Ojai. She was 17 and he was 22, having had his undergraduate experience interrupted by service in the Army during World War II, which included combat action as a radio operator in a communications platoon of the First Army. After that summer in Tahoe, the romance continued east as Stevens completed her undergraduate degree at Smith, graduating in 1950. The couple got married soon after, following an engagement that merited an announcement in the New York Times social pages. Thacher continued at Yale through law school. In the mid-1950s they moved to San Francisco, where Thacher joined his father's law firm, Thacher, Casey & Ball. Glady Thacher studied painting at the California School of Fine Arts, later renamed the San Francisco Arts Institute. In 1955, they settled in Presidio Heights to raise four children and became involved in the political swirl of Democratic Party. They hosted a party for Adlai Stevenson when he was Democratic nominee for president in 1956. They switched to John F. Kennedy in 1960, and Jim Thacher was named Northern California campaign treasurer. As a reward, he was appointed to the commission to determine the future of Alcatraz when the federal prison was closed in 1963. All of these issues were debated among a constant flow of people in their home — as many as 110 for a birthday party. 'That living room is famous, it was used kind of like a stage,' said Hally Thacher, eldest of the children. 'My parents had big ideas and were involved in the community. They just really wanted to make a difference.' The biggest idea was Enterprise. When it was launched in 1969, Thacher had just finished her master's degree in educational counseling at San Francisco State University and was eager to put it to use. 'She was a very curious woman who listened and asked 'why not' more than she asked 'why,' ' said her son Will. 'She was a fundraising machine, which is how you create any nonprofit. She was not afraid to walk into the president of Wells Fargo's office and ask for money. She saw the goal and she figured out the way to get there. She was just very determined.' For an article in the Chronicle in 1974, reporter Ruthe Stein visited the Thacher living room with a staff photographer who captured nine women at work in one frame. The article was headlined 'The Youngest Job Service,' and Thacher was assigned the title 'mother of invention' in a photo caption. While Stein was there, high school kids came to the door and were invited to join the fray while going through an 'opportunity book' of summer jobs that the volunteers had compiled from San Francisco employers. That was the essence of Enterprise; they took no commissions or other pay. They survived on a budget of $30,000 from foundation grants. 'We started Enterprise out of necessity,' Thacher explained to Stein. 'There were so few jobs for high school students and their parents were anxious about what they would do. There was no central place to find out what was available.' That central place became the Thacher living room, which was a high school jobs clearinghouse in the truest sense. 'We were so embarrassed that all of this office equipment had invaded our living room. It looked like a call center,' said Hally, who was a teenager at the time. 'My father would come home and there would be all these people in the living room and he had to sneak upstairs. There were strangers in the house and it was odd. We'd be upstairs waiting for dinner.' It went on like this for five years before Enterprise relocated to an office downtown and hired its first paid staff member. At that time, Thacher gave up her position as president, though Enterprise kept growing without her, with more than 30,000 youths served to date. In 2024, Enterprise for Youth, as it is now called, connected young people to 502 internships and created $750,000 in wages. 'Gladys's genius was in listening to young people, seeing their dignity, and establishing an organization to help them learn how to work and make meaningful contributions,' said Ninive Calegari, who recently retired as CEO of Enterprise. 'She always said to adults, 'Just listen.' Thacher's follow-up, the San Francisco Education Fund, came to her when she was riding a Muni bus, according to a story in the Chronicle. 'When I was hanging on the strap of that bus with all the steamy windows, I was thinking that all these people probably don't have their kids in public schools. . . . Who cared about public schools?' she told reporter Torri Minton, referring to the drain on school funding from local property tax dollars brought about by state voters' approval of Proposition 13 in 1978. Apparently more people cared than she anticipated, because the San Francisco Education Fund also lives on. 'The woman had her finger on the pulse of what was happening with students and their parents,' said Ann Levy Walden, CEO of the Education Fund. 'Her intuition, clear-eyed vision and deep love for this city led her to create the San Francisco Education Fund as a way for the community to step up when our schools needed it most.' Ultimately Thacher turned her attention to helping people her own age. She founded Alumnae Resources, to help women transition from volunteer work to professional positions, as well as LifeSpan Center, a place to realize creative change and renewal for people over 50. 'She always worked from the inside out as opposed to from the outside in,' said Hally Thacher. 'She had her own reasons for what was driving her, and she very rarely revealed it.' When Glady Thacher was 60 and really getting going, she told Chronicle, 'The things that come out of my mouth are like a seamless web. It comes from my bones outward, from my feet up.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More young adults are trusting peers over doctors, survey shows
(NewsNation) — An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but for an increasing number of young adults, it's apple cider vinegar, sea moss or whatever their peers recommend — all before seeing a professional. Roughly 45% of 18- to 34-year-olds have disregarded their doctor's orders and turned to friends, family and social media for medical answers in the last year, according to a survey by Edelman. That's a 13-point increase since 2024. Similarly, young adults reported a 12% increase in using social media advice over their doctor's. FSA grace period: Understanding your flexible spending account 'They're going to their peers because they're relatable, because they've experienced the same things that they have, because it's a judgment-free zone, they feel like,' social media expert Corey Perlman told NewsNation. Peer-to-peer trust, Perlman said, 'is overtaking the professional world.' The findings show a 'structural reorientation in how health is understood, trusted, and shared,' Edelman told NewsNation in a statement. They also reflect an upward trend of doctor distrust in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But young people have not completely disregarded professional opinions. According to Edelman's survey, 82% of 18- to 35-year-olds said their doctor influences their medical decisions. Colon cancer rates connected to childhood toxin exposure: Research Nearly three-quarters of those in that age range said they were influenced by friends and family, and 72% said the same about health experts. While many Gen-Zers and millennials turn to social media for just about everything, 33% of young people said their medical decisions are influenced by content creators without medical training. The Edelman survey asked more than 16,000 people in 16 countries about their habits in March 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Music is not a recipe': Violinist Itzhak Perlman talks about putting his life into an autobiographical show
For once, Itzhak Perlman was in the audience, not onstage. Years ago, the violinist, conductor and pedagogue attended Billy Crystal's autobiographical one-man show, '700 Sundays.' He left inspired. 'I thought that it might be fun to do this with my life and music,' Perlman says. That seed sprouted into 'An Evening with Itzhak Perlman,' an autobiographical recital coming to the Chicago Theatre April 21. Technically, it's not a one-man show — Perlman will be joined by pianist Rohan de Silva, a longtime collaborator — but it's every bit as intimate, interspersing musical selections with personal anecdotes, photos, and clips from the 2017 documentary 'Itzhak.' If anything, the challenge will be confining Perlman's story to a single evening. A polio survivor, he was born in 1945 to Eastern European Jewish immigrants in Tel Aviv. Israel is now a major player in the world of classical music, churning out many a high-flying musician, but in Perlman's day, that wasn't so. That, atop Perlman's disability — he uses crutches and a motorized scooter — made him, in the eyes of many, an underdog. 'The Ed Sullivan Show' changed his life overnight. Appearing on the show for the first time in 1958, as a preteen, Perlman was brought to the attention of the faculty at Juilliard in New York, where he himself now teaches. His career since has more than proved his naysayers wrong, building a résumé and name recognition rivaled by few others in classical music and beyond. At nearly 80, Perlman still giddily transcends genre, whether playing klezmer, duetting with jazz pianist Oscar Peterson or appearing onstage with Billy Joel. Perlman connected with the Tribune from his home in New York to talk about his upcoming show at the Chicago Theatre. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Q: So much of your career is about interpreting the works of other artists — in your case, composers. For this show, in a way, your life is the artwork you're interpreting. How did you decide what you wanted to include, as opposed to what you wanted to keep private? A: That's a good question. All I know is that I know what I don't want to do and I know what I do want to do. When you think about it, there's so much stuff about anybody that you can read online. There's very little privacy. What this show does is give my personal point of view as to what was happening in my life. Q: It seems challenging to pick just a few pieces for this program. How did you begin to curate this show? A: Well, I don't want to tell you everything … but we tried to make the music fit the story. There were some stories from when I was developing as an artist, so of course I had to play those pieces: pieces I played for a contest, pieces I studied when I was 6 or 7 years old, pieces my teacher (the legendary Dorothy DeLay, who taught Perlman at Juilliard) gave me when she first met me, and so on and so forth. Q: You used the word 'development.' One of the things I admire about you is that you've continued to develop musically during your whole career, sometimes very publicly. For example, the documentary 'In the Fiddler's House' captured your experience learning klezmer for the first time, at a point when your classical career was already well established. How did you go about letting people into this intimate experience of learning an art form for the first time, with cameras rolling? A: When I was approached by PBS to host a show about klezmer, I had absolutely no experience playing it. But to be the host of a show sounded very, very good. There were three or four klezmer groups participating in the show. I met with them, and they asked, 'Would you like to jam with us?' I said, 'Gee, I don't know; I've never done it before.' But I'd heard that kind of sound growing up; it was not foreign to me at all. One thing led to another, and we started to play. (Eventually) they said, 'Why don't we do some (live) shows, and instead of being the host, you could be part of the show!' That's how it started to develop, and now it's been almost 30 years. We did a couple of concerts just two days ago, in Cleveland and near Washington. We're still having a fantastic time. There is a kind of improvisation involved in klezmer, (whereas) in classical music, there is very little improvisation. Instead, the improvisation is very subtle — it's musical improvisation, not so much a note improvisation. So, for me, this is something that I always look forward to. Q: Are there ways in which that freedom has inspired or changed your classical playing? A: I always say to my students, you don't play something now the same way you did yesterday. If you repeat the same piece over and over again, that's when the improvisation (becomes) so important: you still keep the interest of the piece in your head. To play a recital for the first time is good, but to play it for the second or third time? That's when it becomes a little bit of a challenge. … How do we play the Beethoven C minor Sonata or Kreutzer Sonata today, as opposed to five years ago? I always say that it's not like baking a cake, where you have that much flour, that much sugar. Music is not a recipe. It's maybe like an eating contest! It becomes spontaneous. Q: You mentioned your students. In fact, a former student of yours I'm excited about, Randall Goosby, is playing in Chicago soon. Being so attuned to the younger generation of violinists coming up, I'm curious if there's anything you've noticed about them that differs, maybe, from the students you taught when you first began teaching decades ago. A: I don't know if there is anything absolutely different today than before. All I can tell you is that the level of playing today is absolutely incredible. I've been lucky to teach extremely good musicians at the Juilliard School and Perlman Music Program, (which) my wife and I started 30 years ago. We always listen to the audition tapes, and they're mind-boggling. But that special 'thing' is just as rare as it used to be — this thing that makes you cry. Every now and then, you get that. Q: You're turning 80 this year. Why did you feel this stage of your career was the right time for an autobiographical show? A: Well, I've been doing this show for a while — like, two, three years. It's so I can give people a choice of what I can do. I can do a straight recital, or I can do something like this, (because) I love to talk to the audience. When I first started talking to the audience, there was a concert where I just felt like I wanted to play, and I didn't say anything. Then, I got a letter: 'I heard you play, and you didn't say anything.' People got so used to to me talking! So, this is just another experience of mine. So far, the audience has liked it. Well, either that, or they pretended that they liked it. (Laughs) Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic.
Los Angeles Times
06-04-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Can Your Gut Help Tame Spring Allergies? The Surprising Link Between Microbiome Health and Seasonal Sniffles
As pollen counts rise across the country, millions of Americans brace themselves for a familiar seasonal struggle: sneezing fits, itchy eyes, endless congestion, and the foggy-headed fatigue that tags along. Allergic rhinitis (aka seasonal allergies) impacts up to 30% of adults and 40% of children in the U.S., per the CDC. And while over-the-counter meds help some, others find themselves stuck in a loop of symptom-chasing. What if we've been looking in the wrong place for relief? Not up your nose, but in your gut. Scientists are increasingly exploring the relationship between gut health and the immune responses that trigger seasonal allergies. Emerging research suggests that a more balanced, diverse gut microbiome could be the missing link to fewer sniffles and less sneezing. 'As pollen counts rise nationwide, millions of Americans prepare for the sneezing, congestion, and watery eyes that accompany spring allergies,' says Dr. Adam Perlman, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Pendulum Therapeutics. 'But new research suggests that relief may come not just from antihistamines but from the gut.' Your gut microbiome, the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in your digestive tract, isn't just there to digest your lunch. It plays a major role in regulating your immune system. When this internal ecosystem is off balance, your body may start overreacting to otherwise harmless things like pollen or pet dander. A 2023 review found clear links between certain gut microbes and allergic diseases, such as hay fever and eczema. In particular, beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Clostridiaceae seem to help reduce inflammation and regulate immune responses. 'A diverse and balanced gut microbiome appears to help regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation,' explains Dr. Perlman. 'Conversely, an imbalanced microbiome (often caused by poor diet, stress, or antibiotics) can increase susceptibility to allergic reactions by skewing immune responses.' Backing this up, a 2020 study published in Karger showed that adults with allergic rhinitis had significantly reduced gut microbial diversity compared to healthy controls. That means people struggling with seasonal allergies may have fewer of the 'good' microbes needed to keep immune overreactions in check. So, what does this mean for your day-to-day? It all comes down to immune modulation. A healthy gut microbiome produces metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which help regulate inflammation and teach your immune system to stay cool when allergens strike. On the flip side, a low-diversity microbiome (thanks in part to processed foods, sugar, and stress) can tip your immune system out of balance. Cue the nonstop sneezing. Translation: If your gut is unhappy, your immune system is more likely to throw an allergic tantrum every spring. Gone are the days of generic probiotics and hope-for-the-best results. The newest generation of probiotics is highly targeted, using strains naturally found in healthy human guts to support immunity. 'By targeting specific strains of beneficial bacteria, we're entering a new era where we can harness the power of the microbiome to support immune health and potentially reduce allergy symptoms,' says Dr. Perlman. These 'next-gen' probiotics don't just aid digestion, they're formulated to reduce histamine responses and modulate inflammation, making them particularly promising for allergy sufferers. Of course, probiotics alone aren't a silver bullet. Think of them as part of a full lifestyle shift: one that includes smart nutrition, better sleep, and yes, fewer ultra-processed snacks. You don't have to go full-on wellness influencer to start improving your gut. Simple, consistent food swaps can make a meaningful impact on your microbiome, and possibly your allergy symptoms. 1. Fermented Foods These foods are natural sources of probiotics that help seed your gut with beneficial bacteria. 2. Prebiotic-Rich Foods Prebiotics are the 'food' your good bacteria love, helping them multiply and thrive. 3. Fiber-Heavy Vegetables and Legumes Fiber feeds the microbes that produce SCFAs, key players in calming inflammation. 4. Antioxidant-Rich, Polyphenol-Packed Picks Polyphenols not only reduce oxidative stress but also help increase good bacteria levels. 'Even small dietary changes, like swapping processed snacks for nuts or adding fermented vegetables to meals, can contribute to immune balance,'Dr. Perlman points out. Improving your gut health isn't just about what's on your plate. Your daily habits (from sleep to stress) play a starring role, too. Chronic stress can mess with your gut lining and lower microbial diversity. Consider adding breathwork, meditation, or a daily walk to your routine; even ten minutes counts. Your gut and brain are deeply connected. When you shortchange sleep, it disrupts your microbiome and weakens your immune defenses. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality, screen-free rest. Regular, moderate exercise (think brisk walks, yoga, or cycling) can promote microbial diversity. Overtraining, however, can cause inflammation. Find your balance. While antibiotics are sometimes necessary, overuse can wipe out beneficial bacteria. Always use them thoughtfully and follow up with probiotic-rich foods. Let's get real: Focusing on gut health won't magically erase your allergy symptoms overnight. But research strongly suggests it can make a measurable difference — and possibly lessen your need for constant symptom management. So, if you're already doing the usual (think antihistamines, HEPA filters, saline sprays) but still feeling foggy, itchy, and stuffy, it might be time to look inward. As Dr. Perlman puts it, 'This spring, breathing easier might start with what's on your plate — and with innovations like next-generation probiotics.' In other words, your gut isn't just about digestion, it could be your secret weapon for surviving allergy season with less suffering. Cheers to that second helping of kimchi.
